Underage rules and foreigner filters; these are the new reforms of Liga MX

Mexico City (apro) – The Mexican Football Federation (FMF) and the MX Primera Division have announced new reforms for the development of national football, with concrete plans for their projects until 2030.

The reforms were announced at two forums attended by managers from the federation, Liga MX and the teams.

Among the reforms is the reinstatement of playing time rules for players under 20 and the inclusion of lockdown measures to ensure foreign players or those not trained in Mexico benefit in the league.

FMF Commissioner Juan Carlos ‘La Bomba’ Rodríguez, through a video; Liga MX President Mikel Arriola and FMF Executive Chairman Ivar Sisniega revealed the return of the underage rule, which forces teams to play with players under the age of 20.

Starting with the 2024 Apertura, the 18 Liga MX clubs must add at least 1,000 minutes of playing time per campaign for Mexican footballers born between 2001 and 2005. This strategy was already in place but was removed from the regulations in 2020.

“From the next Apertura 24 tournament, the minor rules officially return, the same as those that existed between 2005 and 2011, a period that saw the emergence and elimination of figures such as Guardado, Héctor Moreno, Chicharito, Javier Aquino, Memo Ochoa and the merger”, said Mikel Arriola.

Likewise, the Mexican Primera Division will begin filtering the hiring of foreign players in the spring of 2025, but the number of players per club who have not trained in Mexico will not decrease and will remain at nine.

Recruitment filters will relate to a player’s minutes at their club of origin, number of national team call-ups and the international matches they’ve played in, replicating controls managed by leagues such as the Premier League and Italy’s Serie A.

FMF also reports that youth national teams will tour more in Europe to increase player visibility. The technical director training system will be redesigned and from June 2025 all courses will follow FIFA standards and be aligned with the UEFA Pro license.